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Catherine González Receives COTE Award for Excellence at General Assembly

2006-06-16

Decatur, GA--Catherine González, professor emerita of church history at Columbia Seminary, received the Award for Excellence in Theological Education from the Committee on Theological Education (COTE) for the Presbyterian Church (USA). Given each year since 1997, the award honors individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to theological education. Past recipients have included seminary presidents, foundation chairs, and theological educators. González was nominated and chosen by COTE, which is made up of PC(USA) seminary presidents and representatives, as well as thirteen church members-at-large. She was recognized at the 217th General Assembly of the PC(USA) in Birmingham on June 16. González retired from Columbia in 2002 after 28 years of service to the seminary, where she taught church history. Before her appointment to Columbia’s faculty, in 1974, she held teaching positions at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and West Virginia Wesleyan College. She received the Ph.D. in systematic theology and history of doctrine from Boston University and the S.T.B. from Boston University School of Theology, which recognized her with the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1972. She was ordained to ministry in the Presbyterian church in 1965 and has since served the church in numerous capacities, from local congregations to global ecumenical partnerships. Known by her students for her deep appreciation of the Church Fathers and her ability to describe them as though they were personal friends, González instilled in generations of Presbyterian pastors a thorough knowledge of, and respect for, their forebears in the faith. Her numerous scholarly articles and books, several of which she coauthored with her husband, Justo L. González, have made valuable contributions to the fields of church history, history of doctrine, and preaching. The Award for Excellence in Theological Education is fitting recognition for Catherine González, who in her teaching, writing, and life of faith, demonstrates in the best sense what it means to be a scholar and theologian of the church. Columbia Theological Seminary, located in Decatur, Georgia, was established in 1828 and is one of 10 theological institutions of the Presbyterian Church (USA).